Many key fluidic elements of integrated centrifugal microfluidic platforms (e.g., decanting, metering, mixing, siphoning) are either derived from or can be improved through valving technologies. Sacrificial valves are of particular interest, serving as superior liquid/vapour barriers that act as programmable flow control elements and offering novel capabilities like on-board reagent storage. Traditionally, these active valves necessitate embedding (fluidically/pneumatically) isolating materials and actuating those gating mechanisms through complex external triggers.
For example, one of the known valving techniques using a sacrificial material is wax valving, where small quantities of wax are embedded in a microchannel until actuated by a heat source which melts the wax and can allow for liquid to pass. In these setups the valving requires multiple pieces of equipment/processes to manufacture and actuate, i.e., a dispenser, which can melt the wax for initial placement and a heat source (resistive heater, laser, etc.) to melt the waxes during operation. Another sacrificial valving scheme is based on melting polymer films by a laser, typically aided by absorptive properties of the sacrificial material.